Cloth bag cleaner



Sept. 26, 1950 w. H. BAGBY CLOTH BAG CLEANER Filed Sept. 7; 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ualuavo N0 ave emov'u 1.00 BGIS .LHSIB 9V8 wm uziosa b6 95 3.23m:

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/NVENTOR.- WILLIAM H. BAGBY m wE Sept. 26, 1950 w. H. BAGBY 0 CLOTH BAG CLEANER Filed Sept. 7, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 BAG TURNING STA.|

' /NVENTOR.'- WILLIAM H. BAGBY BY Wrm Sept. 26, 1950 w. H. BAGBY 01.0w BAG CLEANER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. '7, 1944 INVENTORI- WILLIAM BAGBY BY w nn Patented Sept. 26, 1950 2,523,607 CLOTH BAG CLEANER William H. Bagby, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to General Mills, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application September '7, 1944, Serial No. 553,098

"7 Claims. (01. 223-43) This invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning cloth bags.

Heretofore it has been customary to manually hold each bag to be cleaned suspended under a vacuum tube which sucks the bag up intothe tube turning it inside out and then pulling it out outside.

An object of the invention is to provide a more speedy and eflicient means for cleaning cloth bags, particularly those which have been emptied of flour, feed, cement and the like, where the material packed has a tendency to adhere to the bag.

This and other objects, as will hereinafter appear, are accomplished by this invention which is fully described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings in i which Figure 1 is a top plan view the invention;

Fig. 2 is' a front elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the upper portion of the machine shown in vertical section;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial end view of the upper portion of the machine;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged partial perspective of the hollow frame showing the grippers open forthe reception of one side of the bag;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged partial perspective showing gripper frames beneath the two tubes shown in full line, while one of the frames is shown in dotted line passing from a position beneath one of the tubes to a position beneath the other tube;

Fig. '1 is a partial perspective of one of the frames with the grippers open for the reception of the bag;

Fig. 8 is a similar view of the frame with the grippers open for the release of the bag;

Fig. 9 is a partial enlarged section 'on the line 9-9 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a partial perspective of the lower right-hand corner of the frame as shown in Fig. 2 showing particularly the guides for guiding the frame around the corner;

7. Fig. 11 is a partial enlarged section of one side of the gripper frame; and

of an embodiment of Figs. 12 and 13 are sections on the lines l2l2 and l3-l3 of Fig. 11. i j

The embodiment illustrated comprises a main frame 20 supported on legs 2| and carrying suitable bearings in which are journaled shafts 22, 23, 24 and .25 at the four corners of a rectangle. Each shaft carries two spaced sprockets as 26, 21, 28 and 29. Continuous conveyor chains 30, 3| pass around these sprockets and are driven by a pulley 32 on the head shaft 23.

Each chain slides on guide strip 33 carried on top rails 34 and carries registering bearing blocks 35, 36 (Fig. '7) and in these are journaled short hollow shafts 40, 4| each secured to a U- haDed frame member 42, 43 (Fig. 10) respectively. These are adjustably secured together by means of suitable bolts 44 at each side of the frame.

Within the hollow shaft 40 is slidably mounted a rod 50 which carries a collar 5| against which bearsva spring 52 urging the rod outwardly. This rod at its inner end carries a gripping bar 55 which has teeth 56 meshing with corresponding indentations 5'! in an extension 58 secured to the inner face of the frame member 42 (Fig. 11) The shaft 40 has a screw engaging a keyway in the rod 50 as shown in Fig. 12 to prevent rotation of the bar 55. l

The hollow shaft 4| carries a similar rod 5 and gripping bar as that shown in Fig. 11 and these rods extend beyond the ends of the shafts 40 and 4! so as to engage and be pressed inwardly by lateral guides 6 l, 62, as shown in Fig. '7. When so pressed in, the gripping bar 55 is forced in so as to permit an upper edge of the bag B to be inserted between the open jaws, as shown in Fig. 5. For this purpose, openings are provided in the members 66.

A number of these gripper frames are provided on the continuous chains, as shown in Fig. 2, and these are preferably but not necessarily spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between stations, as shown in Fig. '2', and which will later be described. Where the chains are run intermittently the frames should be spaced the same as the stations.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 7 the operator picks up abag by the top and inserts a portion of the top between the open far grippers while they are held open by the guide 62. The operator holds the bag between the grippers until the rod 50' runs off the end of'the guide 62. It will be obthe near grippers, holding the bag until the rod 50 runs off the end of the guide 6|. The bag is then firmly gripped.

The bag then continues to move to the left from station I, as shown in Fig. 3, and at the point marked station 2 (Sta. 2) the frame passes beneath the tube 10 which is connected to an exhauster or other source of low vacuum, This tube is preferably larger than the bags tobe cleaned and is provided with a hollow cylindrical basket which is made up of vertical bars H reinforced by circular hoops 12. This structure is brazed or welded at the bottom to the tube and at the top to a screen-grid structure'13. An inspece tion door "H is located above said screengrid. This basket permits the cleaning of bags which on occasion may be larger in diameter than the tube 10.

When the frame passes beneath the tube the bag is drawn up throughthe frame and into the tubef thereby' turning the bag inside out with considerable violence which assists materially in shaking loose dust and powdered material withinthe bag and even breaking loose some of the material which has adhered to the bag. When the bag is gripped at station I, as shown in Fig. 2, it depends from the gripping frame, assuming the position B1. When the frame is immediately under the tube 19 the bag is drawn up into the position B2 within the tube by the ingoing air. As the frame F continues to move, the inrushing air tends to retain the bag in the tube and it assumes a position like B3 (Fig. 3) as it is slowly drawn out of -'the tube. At the same time the frame F is caused to rotate in a clockwise direction and engagesacross-barl5 which insures the frame rocking over as it passes beneath this bar. The bag now completely released from the tube if! dropsto the dotted line position B4, the bag now being turned inside out. The weight ofthe bag dropping from the tube is often sufficient to rock over the frame to inverted position without the aid of the cross bar. I

As the frame continues on it passes beneath the suction tube 86 which may be identical with the tube 10. Here again the bag is drawn up inside this tube and again reversed so that in the mid-position B5 it is again right side out.

As 'thefraine'now continues it is drawn out from the tube 88, assuming the position B6, as shown at station 3 of Fig. 3. A bar 85 similar to the bar IE-again insures the frame turning as the bag leaves the tube 80. The frame and bag then drop to the position B7 in which position therods 50, engage releasing slides t6, 9i (Fig. 1) which press the rods in, thereby releasing the bag grippers and the bag Ba then drops. into a suitable chute 92.

Each shaft 43" is provided with a pair of set collars 94 secured by set screws which-permit of adjustment of the shaft to accommodate bags of different sizes.

Referring to Fig.2 a bottom guide rail 95 preventsthe frames F from turning. End guide rails 96, 9'! guide the frames around the shafts 2 2,fetc. and around the ends of the machine, keeping them parallel to the chains. Guides 98 are. located atstation l and guides 99 are placed beneath stations 2 and, 3 to insure the frames remaining horizontal.

While I have shown and described but a single embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of man modifications. Changes, therefore, may be made. which do not 4 depart from the spirit and cope of my invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a bag cleaning machine a tube maintained under a partial vacuum and open at one end, a series of open frames through each of which a bag may pass, each frame having grippers thereon for gripping the open top of a bag to be cleaned, a continuous chain conveyor for moving each frame beneath the open end of the tube while a depending bag is gripped therebeneath so that the suction in the tube will draw the bag through the open frame and into the tube as it passes thereunder thereby turning the bag inside out, the frame being centrally pivoted at its sides on said chain conveyor so that the frame rotates through, half a revolution as the bag is drawn from the tube and again depends from the frame, a second tube beyond the first tube and similarly exhausted to reverse the bag again as the conveyor chain moves the inverted frameto a position thereunder and further clean it by the.

passageof air therethrough, and means beyond the second tube for releasing the bag after it has been moved from beneath the second tubeby the conveyor means. 1

2. In a bag cleaning machine, a tube main tained under a partial vacuum and open at one end, an open frame through which a, bag may pass having grippers thereon for gripping the open top of a bag to be cleaned, a continuous chain conveyor for moving the frame beneath the open end of the tube while a depending bag is.

gripped therebeneath so that the suction in the tube will draw the bag through the open frame veyorso that the frame rotates through half a revolution as the bag is drawn from the tube and again, depends from the frame, a second tube beyond the first tube and similarly exhausted to reverse the bag again and further clean it by the passage of air therethrough, and means beyond the second tube for releasing the bagafter it has been moved from beneath the second tube by the conveyor means.

3. In a bag cleaning machine, a tube maintained under'a partialvacuum andopen atone end, an open frame through which a bag may pass having grippers thereon for gripping the open top of a bag to be cleaned, a continuous chain conveyor for moving the frame beneath the open end of the tube while a depending bag is gripped therebeneath so that the suction in the tube will draw the bag through the open frame and into the tube thereby turning the bag inside out, the frame being centrally pivoted at its sides and said chain conveyor so that the frame rotates to inverted position as the bag is drawn out by the moving conveyor andagain depends from the frame, a second tube beyond the first tube and similarly exhausted to reverse the bag again as the conveyor chain moves the invertedframe thereunder and further clean it by the passage of air therethrough, and laterally extending members movably carried by said frames adapted to engage fixed elements in the machine to cause the grippers to open to receive a bag at the'head end of the machine and to. release the bag at the tail end.

4. In a bag cleaning machine, a vertical tube"- ing grippers thereon for gripping the open top of a bag to be cleaned, means including two spaced continuous chains on which the frames are pivoted for rotation about horizontal axes,

said means moving the frames beneath the tube;

while a depending bag is gripped by each frame therebeneath so that'the suction in the tube will draw the bag through its open frame and into the tube thereby turning the bag inside out, a similar second tube for again cleaning and reversing the bag, and means for releasing the bag after it emerges from the second tube.

5. In a bag cleaning machine, a cleaning tube for drawing foreign matter from a bag, an open frame through which a bag maypass having grippers with a movable jaw on the near and far side for gripping the open top of a bag 'to be cleaned, stationary cam surfaces parallel to the path of travel of the frame and adjacent the near and far side of the frame opening the movable jaw to open the grippers as the frame is moved past, the parallel cam surface on the far side terminating before the parallel cam surface on the near side closing the jaw of the far grippers before the near gripper to support the far edge of a bag top while the near edge is placed in the near grippers, and a continuous chain conveyor for moving the frame past the stationary cams and. beneath the cleaning tube.

6. In a bag cleaning machine, a cleaning tube as the frame is moved past, the far jaws losing contact with the cam before the near jaws to close the far jaws to grip and support the far edge of the bag while the near edge is placed in the near grippers, and a continuous chain conveyor for moving the frame past the stationary cams and beneath the cleaning tube.

'7. In a bag cleaning machine, a tube maintained under a partial vacuum and open at the lower end, a second similar tube, a conveyor moving in a direction from the opening of the first tube to the opening of the second tube, an open frame through which a bag may pass carried by the conveyor past the tube openings and having grippers thereon for gripping the open top of a bag to be cleaned, the depending bag being drawn through the open frame and into the tube thereby turning the bag inside out as the frame passes beneath the tube opening, said frame being centrally pivoted at its sides on the conveyor so that the frame rotates through half a revolution as the conveyor moves from the first to the second tube and the bag is drawn from the tube and falls to again depend from the frame, the bag being similarly drawn into and out of the second tube as the conveyor passes the frame past the opening.

WILLIAM H. BAGBY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,331,546 Wagner Feb. 24, 1920 1,405,330 Reese et a1. Jan. 31, 1922 1,437,025 Schulz Nov. 28, 1922 2,398,356 Burwick et al Apr. 16, 1946 

